Chapter 3

Daniela’s entire body tensed as she reached for the falling pendant.

For a terrifying heartbeat, something inside her answered.

Dark veins spread beneath her skin like ink flowing through water, chased by streaks of crimson that glowed with the heat of molten metal. The ground around her seemed to shiver as shadows stretched outward in every direction, twisting and curling as though they had suddenly come alive.

Josephine let out a startled growl.

Something was trying to break free.

Daniela felt it clawing against the walls she had spent her entire life holding together. It wasn’t her wolf. It was something older, darker, and infinitely more dangerous. Panic tightened around her chest as she snatched the pendant from the dirt and pressed it hard against her heart.

The change ended as quickly as it had begun.

The shadows melted away.

The strange colors disappeared from her veins.

The crimson glow faded from her eyes until they were their familiar shade of gold once again.

She drew a long, shaky breath and forced herself to stay calm.

Whatever lived inside her had retreated.

For now.

On the platform overlooking the arena, Alpha Charles Pendragon leaned toward George Blackthorn and murmured something too quietly for anyone else to hear.

George’s expression hardened.

After a brief pause, he gave the smallest nod.

Across the arena, Williams’ wolf bared his teeth in a cruel grin.

“Looks like your mother’s little necklace isn’t going to save you.”

Daniela slowly straightened, ignoring the blood running down her shoulder and soaking the front of her clothes. The wound burned with every breath she took, but the pain barely registered anymore.

She looked at him with frightening calm.

“I’ve warned you before,” she said, her voice low enough that only he could hear. “Don’t ever speak about my mother with that filthy mouth again.”

Williams had just enough time to realize something had changed.

Then Daniela disappeared.

She crossed the distance between them in a blur.

Her fist slammed into his chest with a force that echoed through the arena, folding his massive body backward. Before he could recover, she stepped in again and drove another punch into the side of his jaw.

The second blow lifted the enormous wolf completely off the ground.

He crashed across the arena, rolled several times, and finally came to a stop in a cloud of dust.

His body twitched once.

Then again.

After that, he lay perfectly still.

Silence lasted only a fraction of a second before the Tournament horn thundered through the stadium.

The match was over.

Daniela remained standing in the center of the arena, breathing hard as Williams’ wolf slowly shrank back into his human form.

The crowd exploded.

Thousands of voices shouted her name until the sound became almost overwhelming.

Almost without thinking, Daniela wrapped one hand around the pendant resting against her chest.

She had done it.

She had defeated every opponent placed before her.

She had beaten the son everyone believed would inherit the Bloodmoon Vanguard Pack.

This victory would be spoken of across every territory.

More importantly, her father could no longer pretend she wasn’t worthy.

George Blackthorn slowly rose from his seat.

The roaring audience gradually fell silent.

Daniela turned toward him, her heart pounding so hard she could hear little else.

She searched his face for even the smallest sign of pride.

There wasn’t one.

If anything, he looked disappointed.

When he finally spoke, his voice carried effortlessly across the arena.

“Today, Daniela Blackthorn has defeated every warrior who stood before her. She has fought with courage, determination, and unquestionable skill. She has even overcome her own brother.”

Applause erupted once again.

George lifted a single hand.

The stadium fell silent almost immediately.

His cold gray eyes settled on Daniela.

“But victory alone is not enough,” he continued. “An Alpha is more than a warrior. Strength wins battles, but bloodlines shape kingdoms. Leadership is not earned through fists alone. It is inherited, protected, and passed to the one chosen to carry it.”

He extended his arm toward Williams’ unconscious body.

“My chosen heir remains Williams.”

The words struck harder than any blow Daniela had taken that night.

She couldn’t breathe.

She couldn’t think.

For a moment, the entire arena seemed to disappear around her.

This couldn’t be happening.

She had won.

Everyone had seen it.

Even Josephine fell completely silent.

George looked directly at her, his expression filled with open contempt.

“As for you, Daniela, today’s victory changes nothing. You have proven yourself capable in battle, but you will never rule this Pack. You were never meant to.”

The disappointment in his voice hurt far more than anger would have.

Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.

Daniela had never hated a smile more.

“Do not mistake my decision for a lack of appreciation,” George said. “I have secured a future for you that will bring far greater value to this Pack.”

He spread his arms toward the assembled Alphas with obvious pride.

“Before every Pack gathered here today, I officially announce the marriage of my daughter, Daniela Blackthorn. In three days, she will become the wife of Alpha Charles Pendragon.”

The arena erupted into chaos.

Shock rippled through the crowd as voices rose from every direction.

Daniela didn’t hear any of them.

She stood frozen, unable to believe what had just been said.

Marriage?

To Charles Pendragon?

Her father couldn’t possibly be serious.

Slowly, almost against her own will, she lifted her eyes toward the royal platform.

Charles was already watching her.

He hadn’t looked away once.

His dark eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made every instinct inside her scream in warning.

His presence reached her even from across the arena, heavy enough to make the air itself feel suffocating.

George continued speaking, but his words became meaningless.

Daniela heard nothing except the frantic beat of her own heart.

Every part of her wanted to run.

To get as far away from Charles Pendragon as possible.

Yet she refused to lower her gaze.

She straightened her back and stared at him with every ounce of defiance she possessed.

Charles leaned comfortably into his chair, studying her as though she were already his.

Then a slow, amused smile spread across his face.

It sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with fear.

Deep inside, Daniela made herself a promise.

No matter what her father decided…

No matter what the Packs expected…

No matter who stood in her way…

She would never marry Alpha Charles Pendragon.

His smile only grew wider, almost as if he had heard every silent word.